Sir, – Dr Rachael Walsh of Trinity College Dublin sets out how the Supreme Court is likely to balance the right to property with protective housing measures – such as rent control – were such proposals ever to advance that far ("There is no constitutional block to rent freezes in Ireland", Opinion & Analysis, February 3rd).
An excessive caution on the part of our politicians, and their advisers, results in our being a long way from progressing such necessary reforms.
An Oireachtas research paper from September 2019 shows how the Government stifled debate on 12 separate legislative proposals, designed to tackle the current housing crisis, by it claiming that the Constitution would be transgressed. Our political system is caught in a reactionary loop, while the electorate pleads for change.
Home for Good proposes that the Constitution be amended to make it clear that access to adequate, secure and affordable housing is an essential part of the common good. Any amendment can preserve the right to private property, while also offering the counterbalance of a right to housing. It would unlock the barrier to essential reforming legislation and be a vital part of ending the current housing crisis. – Yours, etc,
ANN FitzGERALD, BL
Chairwoman,
Home for Good,
St. Andrew’s House,
Exchequer Street, Dublin 2.